Gad's Hill, Missouri

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Gad's Hill in Wayne County, Missouri is located between two towns in Missouri — Des Arc and Piedmont. Named for the country home of Charles Dickens,^[1] it was established in 1872 by George W. Creath.^[2]

At its small train station on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railway Company line, the first train-robbery in the state occurred on January 31, 1874.^[3] At 3:00 in the afternoon, the James-Younger gang boarded the train and proceeded to rob the passengers. While the exact amount was never certain, newspapers at the time estimated between $2,000 and $22,000 was stolen.^[4] Now in Gad's Hill, a bar is opened there called the Jesse James Saloon.

[edit] References

1. ^ Goodspeed Publishing (1888). History of Southeast Missouri. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Company. ISBN 0-89308-431-X. 
2. ^ The State Historical Society of Missouri, David W.. "How Missouri Streams, Counties and Towns Were Named", Missouri Historical Review (Vol. 13, No. 2), Eaton, January 1919.
3. ^ Conard (1901). Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, Vol. 2. St. Louis: Southern History Company. 
4. ^ Beights, Ronald H.. "Jesse James and the Gads Hill Train Holdup", Wild West Magazine, TheHistoryNet.com, June 2005. Retrieved on March 27, 2006.

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